The Economist on the risks ahead for the global economy :: Five major risks threaten the world economy. Three centre on the United States: renewed sharp increases in the current-account deficit leading to a crash of the dollar; a budget profile that is out of control; and an outbreak of trade protectionism. A fourth relates to China, which faces a possible hard landing from its recent overheating. The fifth is that oil prices could rise to $60-70 per barrel even without a major political or terrorist disruption, and much higher with one.

Providence Seminary and Winnipeg’s YWAM is holding a Discipleship Training School :: Our Discipleship Training School (DTS) is a five month intensive in spiritual and missional formation. The first three months concentrates on engaging students in a holitistic discipleship experience that challenges the mind, heart and body in a praxis oriented program. Offered in the heart of Winnipeg’s West End, students will integrate in one of the city’s most culturally diverse, inner city neighbourhoods. Our emphasis on urban missions means that as part of the community, students will engage the realities of poverty, injustice, racism and much more, all the while have the opportunity to respond in exciting new ways. The next two months are spent on an international, cross-cultural missions service outreach, where students will begin to explore the implication of what they have learned beyond simple application. Again with an urban emphasis, students will participate in “preaching” the Gospel with their whole selves- in word and deed. Our last school served in restoring the tsunami devastated community of the famous Phi Phi Island in southern Thailand, while this school is planning on working with IDP camps and other opportunities of northern Uganda.

“A bunch of theologians who disagree with the emerging church gather together to critique the emerging church. More of the same and it misses the mark.”

Jordon, I hear this “missing the mark” rejoinder often. You sound like the artist who always claims that his work is misunderstood. Why not just say that Reformed/Calvinist critics of the emerging church are just plain wrong about the kind of ecclesiology that is needed today?

Personally, I think the Reformed/Calvinist critique and the emergent mystique are both misguided attempts at keeping or re-working contemporary ecclesiologies. All of you should return to apostolic order and submit to the authority of the Church Catholic (but, er, not neccessarily Roman Catholic). Don’t be a “new kind of Christian” – be an “old kind of Christian” by walking in the communion of the Church Fathers and binding yourself to the judgment of the ecumenical councils. Like we say in the Nicene Creed – I believe in One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostloc Church. Get to a bishop now! 🙂

Clement, fair enough but that wasn’t really what I was thinking but you are right. What I was thinking was that they criticize the fascination with the worldview of the emerging church and their criticisms seem much more based on each others critiques than with the emerging church itself.

You know, the Reformed and the emergents should get together more often. Both camps can’t stand the contemporary evangelical scene (in fact, the Reformed were objecting to trends like Contemporary Christiam Music long before the emergent got their two cents in) and both camps have a concern for a cultural engagment that differs from megachurch packaged spirituality. Plus, both the Reformed and the emergents are far more theologically informed than their not-so-well-read cousins, the contemporary evangelicals. Maybe the PCA and OPC Presbyterians should hold their synods in conjunction with Emergent Village gatherings? RC Sproul and Brian Maclaren could do top billing.

Clement, as a non-reformed person (that sounds stupid but you know what I am saying), I have been told that there are a few different expressions of the Reformed tradition. Some are engaged in discussions with Emergent people while others have declined to take Emergent up on their offer to dialogue. The same with Resonate and some in Canada.

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This is a weblog about urban issues, technology, & culture published by Jordon Cooper since 2001. You can read about me and the site here and if you are looking for one of my columns in The StarPhoenix, you can find them here.